This week has been perhaps the most dramatic and historically significant moment in the history of the club since the one in which Mr. Abramovich bought the club in 2003. The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to rumble on with some of the most horrific scenes of what modern warfare may begin to look like in the 21st century. Cell phone footage circulating throughout social media is moving hand in hand with messages from either side in more traditional news mediums. For a huge amount of the world, this is the first time that this has happened on such a large scale.
Somehow, Chelsea Football Club has been caught in the middle of it because of its owner, Roman Abramovich. The very status of the club as an entity has been brought into question. Though that seems extreme, the British government’s sanctions are incredibly, and one might even suggest abusively, strict. I am, of course, emotionally compromised. The Blues have helped raise me as much as any other cultural institution. The club of such importance in my life that friends I have not heard from in years texted me when they heard about the sanctions.
Now—before we move forward in the click-bait, guilty until proven innocent, trial by public opinion over court and jury of peers system that internet immediacy has created—a few things need to be made completely clear:
- The war in Ukraine is a tragedy, a true human rights horror and something needs to be done about it.
- Abramovich did make the majority of his fortune during the break-up of the Soviet Union and he has been highly involved in politics. He has been a governor and senator in Russia.
- Chelsea Football Club has been a bastion of the community since 1905, 51 years before Abramovich was even born.
Let’s get into the piece.